Child of Mine
by Untainted-Angel
Summary: Gaara needs a new Konoha ambassador, so he goes to Konoha to find one. There he meets the person he had fallen in love with 9 months ago during the Chunnin exams. But something is wrong...a little angst in beginning, yaoi, Mpreg,Gaanej, hints of rape
1. Chapter 1

**Angel: Hello all, and welcome to my first Naruto fanfic!**

**Ni: Eh...**

**Angel: What's wrong?**

**Ni: Well, first: I don't really like Mpreg stories, and second: this is also your first try at angst.**

**Angel: Oh yeah, that too. I'm sorry that you don't like Mpreg, but I do!**

**Ni: Well, it's your story...but I don't wanna read it...**

**Angel: Oh...Um, okaaay...Well, see you in my other story, then?**

**Ni: Yeah...-leaves-**

**Angel: I think I'm going to cry....-tears up- I do not own Naruto, but I do own the plot and the ooc.**

**Begin Chapter 1**

"Neji-niisan…Neji-niisan, won't you…won't you see her?" Bright silvery lilac eyes glanced down nervously at the wrapped bundle, then back up to the shadowy figure huddled on the large canopy bed. The curtains were closed, but Hyuuga Hinata could see the silent figure shift further into the shadows.

"Neji-niisan…"

"Leave me be, Hinata-sama." The voice that responded was broken and hoarse, making the Hyuuga heir wince.

"But-!" Hinata moved to sweep aside the curtains hiding her cousin, but froze when the bundle in her arms shifted. When it settled, the short-haired girl sighed in relief, then looked up, fiercely determined to get Neji out of hiding. "She's your daughter, Neji-niisan!"

"No…"

"Neji-niisan!"

"I refuse! That…That never happened!" A loud thump resounded throughout the room. "I…I…" There came a strangled sob.

"Neji-niisan…" Hinata bit her lip, looking down at the baby girl that had been born just a week ago. "I-I understand that you are hurt, b-but she needs you. You're her mother!"

"No!" Neji screamed, striking the wall again. The wall cracked loudly under the abuse. Suddenly, the baby let out a cry. Hinata gasped, cradling the bundle tenderly.

"Get out…" Neji whispered, staring at the cracked wall, his pale eyes wide and unfocused. "Get out!"

The timid Hyuuga heir winced, turning to shield the baby from the genius' wrath. She stood there trembling, staring down at the crying baby. Then her shoulders straightened and she turned to give her cousin a very un-Hinata like glare, not caring if he saw it or not.

"I don't care if this child was forced upon you by that Sound-nin. She is still your child!" Hinata said over the baby's wails, her tone fierce and unrelenting. "Just because that man raped you does not mean your daughter has to pay for it!"

Neji caved in on himself with every word Hinata shot at him. When the door slammed behind the Hyuuga heir, silencing the cries of the baby, he collapsed onto the bed, silent sobs wracking his body.

Outside, Hinata cradled the precious bundle in her arms, cooing to it quietly. As the baby quieted, she let out a sigh, a single tear rolling down her porcelain pale cheek to splash onto the equally pale cheek of the little girl. The baby twitched her arms in her sleep. Hinata smiled softly down at her, smoothing the child's red-brown hair.

"Hinata." The Hyuuga heir stiffened at the sound of her name, glancing up warily at the person standing before her.

"Father." Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga clan, inclined his head as regally as any king. His eyes, pale like all other Hyuugas, were sharp, taking in every detail of his daughter.

"I assume your cousin has refused to see the child." Hiashi stated, his face expressionless as he looked at the bundle in the short-haired girl's arms.

"Y-yes…" Hinata whispered. Her father was silent for a while.

"You know what we must do." He said finally. His daughter stared at him in horror. He frowned. "If a mother does not take care of her child, it becomes a burden."

"B-but Father-!"

"If we cannot find someone to raise that child, we must."

Hinata stared at her father, then at the baby sleeping peacefully in her arms. Then, for the second time that day, she did an un-Hinata like act. She raised her head and gave Hiashi a glare. The fierce look on his usually gentle daughter's face made the Hyuuga leader step back in alarm and surprise.

"I will _not_ let you do that. This baby has done nothing to deserve it!" Hinata took a deep breath, holding the bundle closer to herself. "I will care for her until I can bring Neji-niisan around."

"You may never be able to bring him around." Her father's face was once again unreadable.

"Then so be it." Hinata replied, straightening her shoulders and giving him a determined look. Silence spread between them as Hiashi stared down at her. Her stance did not falter, nor did her determination, under that unnerving stare. Finally, Hiashi gave a small smile and turned to walk away.

"You have changed." The head of the Hyuuga clan informed. "For the best."

----------In Suna----------

"Gaara-sama! Please listen to me, Gaara-sama! The Hokage-sama sent me here to _advice_ you, not to be ignored! Please-Wait! Gaara-sama!"

Gaara continued walking, ignoring the Leaf-nin. Tsunade-sama had _not_ sent the ninja to advice him. It seemed more like she had sent him just to get the ninja out of her hair. Now the redhead wanted him out of _his_ hair! With an inner sigh, Gaara created a sand clone and jutsued off, determined to complete his work _without_ the Konoha ambassador leaning over his shoulder and telling him he was doing everything wrong. He entered his office to find his siblings Temari and Kankuro waiting for him. Temari took one look at his pale face, and sighed.

"Gaara," She began slowly, as if speaking to a child. "I understand you are still not comfortable around people, but your duty as Kazekage comes first!" The blonde woman scolded him, her blue eyes meeting his aqua-green ones for a moment before glancing away. "The Hokage-sama might not appreciate you ignoring her ambassador."

"I'm not ignoring him." Gaara replied, moving across the room to sit at his desk. He glanced at his brother, but the brunette puppet master was busy repairing one of his puppets. "I simply do not need his advice."

"Advice?" Temari looked startled as she leaned on his desk, handing him a scroll.

"He insists on advising me on how to be the Kazekage. He constantly tells me that what I'm doing is wrong and I should do as he says, because the Godaime sent him to advise me. I've given up on telling him that he is simply a representative and a pain in my ass."

Kankuro snorted and put down his puppet, giving his little brother an approving look while Temari slapped her forehead. In a forcibly calm voice, she asked, "You didn't _tell_ him he's a pain, did you?"

Gaara shrugged and opened the scroll she had handed him. "No, but I did tell him that though I appreciate his advice, he has no right to give it." He glanced up at his sister. "I _have_ learned something these nine months."

"I know, I know. But sometimes you slip up…" His sister replied, sighing.

"So where is the ambassador now?" Kankuro asked, inspecting a squeaky joint in his puppet's arm.

"Chasing a clone-"

The door suddenly burst open, causing all three Sand-nins to grab their nearest weapon. Gaara let his sand shield fall as he recognized the Konoha ambassador, who pointed an accusing finger at the redhead, his face red and his breaths coming in gasps.

"Gaara-sama, I am tired of the disrespect I am receiving. It is outrageous and unbefitting a man of my rank and status!"

Gaara simply stared at the man, his black rimmed eyes unblinking. It was Temari, who still held her fan in a defensive position, who asked the ninja to state his business. The man straightened arrogantly.

"I am returning to Konoha and reporting your actions to the Hokage-sama."

With a sigh, Gaara rubbed the kanji for love on his forehead and looked back down at the scroll on his desk. "While you're there, give Uzumaki Naruto my regards. Oh, and," He opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a scroll and tossed it to the Leaf-nin. "give this to Tsunade-sama for me."

The man caught the scroll and made an exasperated noise. He then slammed out of the room without giving the Kazekage a bow.

"You should kill him." Kankuro stated into the silence that followed the Leaf-nin's departure. Temari made a protestant sound, closing her fan with a snap. Gaara simply continued his work.

"If I did that, the Hokage-sama wouldn't get my message." The redhead sighed wistfully, wishing he hadn't given up on his killing sprees. "Maybe later."

"Not now, not later, not _ever_!" Temari deadpanned. "We do not need people thinking you're unstable again! Not after all the hard work we did to convince them to trust you."

"I know, I know." Gaara sighed again, his shoulders slumping. "Can I at least make the new ambassador fear me?"

Temari sighed in exasperation. "I give up! You two are so bloodthirsty. I don't know where you get it from…" She gave her little brother a bow before exiting the room. Gaara and Kankuro looked at each other, grinning, before quietly counting down from five.

"Five…four…three…two…one…"

"WHAT THE HELL?! WHO PUT THIS HERE?!" A scream echoed back to the two grinning brothers. "JUST WAIT TIL I FIND YOU! I'LL RIP OUT YOUR INTESTINES AND HANG YOU WITH THEM!!!!"

"She'll never find out." Gaara said, sighing happily. He may not be able to kill anyone, but he could pull pranks on them.

"And she calls _us_ bloodthirsty." Kankuro sighed, shaking his head. "But when someone puts red paint all over her bedroom, leaves dead rats in her bed, and steals her eyeliner, she threatens to kill them in the most bloody ways possible."

"I didn't steal her eyeliner…Did you?" Gaara glanced at him curiously.

"What, you didn't notice?" The puppet master pulled back his hood. "My face markings are black."

Their laughter was cut short as Temari came storming back into the room. She scowled at them, looking Gaara over slowly, then Kankuro. She let out an exasperated sigh, having found no evidence that they were behind the prank, and left again. The two brothers resumed their snickering.

----------In Konoha, a week later----------

"I see." Tsunade stated simply, turning the scroll from the Kazekage over in her hands as she stared at the ninja before her. "It's a shame it didn't work out. For now, take a break. I'll have your next job ready for you in a week."

The man smirked as he gave her a bow, thinking the look on her face was for the Kazekage. As soon as the door closed behind him, Tsunade placed her head in her hands and sighed as the Jounin in the room laughed. Her assistant, Shizune, also sighed, her head hanging.

"Tsunade-sama, I told you not to make that bet!" The black haired woman moaned, her shoulders slumping.

"Mah, it's not her fault." One of the Jounin said, straightening out of his slouched position and putting his infamous orange book away. He gave them his trade mark smile, his eye turning into an upside down u. "Most of us would have bet that the Kazekage would have sent him back, dead or alive, if we didn't already know that his sister is very strict when it comes to these diplomatic things."

"Hatake…" Tsunade said, a warning in her voice.

"Hai, hai." Kakashi held his hands up in a defensive position. The blonde Hokage stared at the ninjas around her, silently willing them away. And, as if they had read her mind, they all gave her a bow, most still laughing, before disappearing in a puff of smoke. With a sigh, Tsunade opened the scroll and read Gaara's message.

_Tsunade-sama,_

_Though I am immensely grateful to you for sending such a helpful representative of Konoha, I'm afraid I might have to send him back in a body bag. But since my personal advisor has informed me that that would cause a war, I have settled to allowing him to stay alive. For now._

_If he is to return alive and unharmed, may I suggest sending him to advise a feudal lord, perhaps? There, his advice might be appreciated. Here, it is not. Someone needs to inform him that though some of his advice is good, it is not wise to tell someone who was once homicidal that he is doing his job wrong. I hope that the next ambassador you send is smarter than the current one. Perhaps you should send someone who not only possesses a sense of humor (for Kankuro's sake, I have no humor whatsoever), but also knows when to keep quiet. I can understand that you just wanted the current ambassador out of your way, but he needs to be out of my way before I decide to go back to my killing sprees. _

_I sincerely hope you get your ambassador back in one piece, but I cannot make any promises. Please know that I do not hold this against you, and I hope the peace between our villages continues to grow._

_Sincerely,_

_Subaku no Gaara_

"Brat." Tsunade growled, throwing the scroll to the side. Shizune, the only one who remained, caught it and began to read it. The assistant's eyes grew wide, and she turned to stare at the Hokage.

"Are we sure this boy is stable?" She asked, rolling up the scroll with shaking hands.

"Hm?" Tsunade asked, looking down at the scroll in front of her where she had begun her reply. "Oh, yes. Temari has reassured us that he is fine. The threats are simply a way to vent his feelings."

Shizune gulped and set the scroll down on the desk. "So, who are we going to send?"

"Hmmm…" The medical-nin sighed, glancing out the window, tapping her pen against her bottom lip as she thought. "Why don't we let him come and choose. I don't want any of my ninjas coming home mutilated."

"I thought you said-" Shizune started, her face pale.

"Relax!" Tsunade said, turning to her with a fake grin on her face. "I was joking!"

Shizune was silent, though she regarded the Sannin with suspicion. Tsunade signed her message, then tossed it to the raven haired assistant. "Have that sent to the Kazekage-sama."

----------Back in Suna, three days later----------

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY EYELINER?!" Gaara snickered as his sister came bursting out of her room. When she turned her glare onto him, he put on a blank face and stared her down, doing an inward happy dance when she glanced away first. Kankuro, his face equally expressionless, came walking down the hall, a scroll in his hand. The redhead smirked at him when he saw that his brother's face markings were once again black.

"Gaara, this just arrived for you from Konoha." The brunette said, his tone flat and emotionless.

"Thank you. I will read it in my office." Gaara replied, taking the offered scroll, his tone the same.

"YOU TWO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS, DON'T YOU?!" Temari screeched, pointing at her demonic brothers. Kankuro looked at her, feigning surprise.

"We have something to do with what?" Gaara heard his brother ask. He let an evil smile grow on his face as he opened the door to his office. He closed it behind him, cutting off whatever reply the blonde woman made. Humming happily, he hurried to his desk and sat down, opening the scroll and grinning at it's contents.

_Brat,_

_It's a shame your mother didn't drown you when you were born. If you had just _sent_ him back, I would have won that bet, but NO! You had to listen to your sister for once. And really, it wouldn't have hurt anyone if you had killed him. Don't tell Temari I said that, you got it?!_

_Anyways, as a sign of apology (Not really), I am inviting you to come to Konoha to pick out someone who you think you will get along with. But-! I will only let you choose from the Rookie 9. Because I need everyone else. Okay, so I need them too, but you would get along better with them, than with anyone else. And you owe me some sake!_

_Sannin Tsunade_

"Heh."

"Gaara, are you laughing?" Temari asked, startling her little brother, though he didn't show it.

"No." Gaara rolled the scroll up and stood. "We have been invited to Konoha. Pack your things."

"Oh." Temari blinked, then glared at the empty space to the left of him. "I better not find a dead rat in my bags…"

Gaara raised a non-existing eyebrow at her. "Are you saying I had anything to do with that?"

"N-no, of course not!" Temari shook her head and gave him a bow. "I'll inform Kankuro."

Gaara sat back down. He glanced at the door, then at the bottom drawer of his desk. With a sigh, he opened it and pulled out a picture. He looked at it, sighing again at the long, raven locks and porcelain skin of the person in the photo. He smiled, a genuine one, filled with longing.

The smile turned evil as he heard his sister shriek.

"WHO THE FUCK PUT DEAD SQUIRRELS IN MY BAGS?! OH, EW, THAT ONE'S STILL ALIVE!"

The door opened and Gaara quickly shoved the picture back into the drawer and had his sand close it silently as he regarded his brother, his face a picture of innocence.

"Squirrels?" Kankuro asked, grinning.

Gaara shrugged. "Well, she said she didn't want to find dead rats."

"You are evil, little brother." The brunette said, shaking his head. "The good kind of evil, yes, but still evil."

"There's a good kind of evil?" Gaara asked, tilting his head.

"I think so…"

**End Chapter 1**

**Yukane: Unfortunatly, Angel is currently crying and cannot be here to talk to you all. But she sincerely hopes you like it.**

**Saiya: Yeah, poor girl. Her own editor doesn't want to read her story...**

**Yukane: Who are you?**

**Saiya: I'm from another one of Angel's stories.**

**Yukane: Oh. It is sad that Ni doesn't want to read it, because now it hasn't been edited and may have some mistakes...**

**Saiya: Yeah...**

**Both: -sigh- Please review! Make Angel stop crying!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Angel: -gasps- I haven't uploaded anything all year! What is wrong with me?!**

**Yukane: It's only January. Relax, for crying out loud...**

**Angel: Oh, right, sorry. I guess I'm just excited because I FINALLY finished this chapter! I meant to do it before Christmas, but the holidays were beyond crazy!**

**Yukane: Well, you've had since the new year.**

**Angel: Well, actually, my birthday got in the way, then my friend's birthday 4 days after mine, and then finals...**

**Saiya: Aren't you getting off subject?**

**Angel: Oh yeah! Well, anyways, I finally finished this! And hopefully it's as good as the first one. I've tried my hardest! Enjoy!**

**Yukane and Saiya: Untainted-Angel does not own Naruto.**

**Begin Chapter 2**

Ramen. The gods created this holy dish for themselves, but took pity upon the poor humans who had never tasted the golden goodness. Surely the gods loved us mortals the day they gave us the recipe. We certainly loved them. The day ramen was given to us, the humans decided it was essential to eat it everyday to honor those divine beings. The gods were content with their good deed and the humans thrived.

And now, Uzumaki Naruto, son of those thankful humans, ate the food of the gods, humming in his pleasure. He was the strongest of the descendants, the future Hokage. No one could resist his good looks and charm-

"Oi, Naruto!" The sudden call startled the blond shinobi, almost making him fall off the stool he perched on. "Stop the inner dialogue, you're just embarrassing yourself."

Naruto turned to glare at the intruder, which turned out to be his brunette friend, Inuzuka Kiba. The dog-nin was leaning against a post in front of Ichiraku's, his companion, Akamaru, awaiting him outside. Kiba was missing his usual jacket, leaving him in his fishnet shirt, showing off taut muscles.

"Shut up, Dog-breath!" Naruto growled. "It's not like you could hear what I was thinking, anyways."

Kiba snorted. "I don't need to hear in order to know. It probably had something to do with ramen."

"Damn." The blond ninja scowled at his empty bowl before sighing and taking out his little froggie wallet. "What do you want?"

"Tsunade-sama is asking for us."

"Baa-chan? Is it a mission?" Naruto eagerly ran out of the ramen stand, not even waiting for Kiba. The dog-nin sighed and trotted to catch up, Akamaru following obediently.

"I don't know. What I _do_ know, though, is that she's calling _all_ of us."

"Us?"

The brunette gave him a look of exasperation. "Yeah, us. As in, the Rookie 9? Well, and Gai-sensei's team."

Naruto stopped suddenly, his mouth wide open in horror, making Kiba skid to a stop to avoid running into him. "Not Fuzzy-Eyebrows!"

Kiba chose to ignore this statement, opting instead to pull out a picture of a drunk Naruto wearing a familiar spandex and trying to kiss a not-so-unwilling and sober Gai. He waved it in front of his friend's nose.

"WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THAT?!" Naruto shrieked, trying to grab the picture while his whiskered cheeks burned red. "AND WHY THE HELL ARE YOU CARRYING IT AROUND?!"

Kiba whipped it out of his reach and strolled towards the Hokage's office, whistling cheerfully. Naruto, enraged and _very_ embarrassed, chased after him, cursing and ignoring the chuckles from around them. The dog-nin was grinning as he reached Tsunade's office, unaffected by the threats being thrown at him from behind. He strolled inside and gave the busty Hokage a salute.

"Dammit, Dog-breath! I'm gonna rasengan your ass!" All eyes turned to the door as the blond ninja burst through it. A baby's wail broke through the silence that followed his outburst, bringing the new arrivals' attention to the others in the room. Sakura stood by the open door, a shaking fist raised and ready to punch Naruto's lights out. By her slouched Shikamaru, his hands in his pockets and his usual bored expression on his face. His two teammates were standing near him, watching as Hinata calmed the crying baby with soothing noises. Shino was turned in Naruto's direction, his eyebrows drawn. The blond ninja wasn't sure whether he was glaring or not… Team Gai stood off to one side, though they were missing a member. Kiba shot the shamefaced Naruto a glare and went to stand with his teammates.

"I-I'm sorry, Hinata-chan." Naruto scratched the back of his head, looking at his feet.

"I-It's okay, Na-Naruto-kun." Hinata replied. Sakura dragged her teammate over to where she stood and whacked him.

"Idiot." She growled before turning her attention back to her Sensei, who was watching the scene with amused annoyance. Shizune stood to one side of the Hokage, shaking her head. Once the baby had calmed back down, Tsunade spoke.

"Alright brats. I don't want to know what that was about." She said. Naruto opened his mouth, but it was quickly covered by Sakura. "Now. You all know that Suna is our ally now, and that we are supposed to have an ambassador there to represent Konoha-"

"Ooh, ooh! Me! Me! Pick _me_!" Sakura had made the mistake of uncovering the blonde shinobi's mouth. Naruto was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, his hand waving in the air excitedly. Sakura quickly corked his mouth again, resisting the urge to choke him. Tsunade cleared her throat and gave the blond a glare.

"As I was saying, we're supposed to have an ambassador in Suna. Unfortunately, our last representative has returned on his own, thankfully without any bodily harm." The Hokage sighed and pulled out a bottle of sake. She didn't sound so thankful. "So, we need a new one. However," She shot Naruto another glare. "the Kazekage is coming _here_ to choose."

Dead silence met this information. Tsunade sipped at her sake, waiting for the shinobi before her to process what she had said. After a moment, Shikamaru raised his hand, still looking bored. The Sannin motioned for him to speak.

"I only have one thing to say." The lazy-nin said, lowering his arm and sliding his hand back into his pocket. "Gaara's an evil freak. Can I go home now?"

A large vein started to throb visibly on the Hokage's forehead as she set her sake bottle down on the desk before her. The rather loud clank made Shizune jump and her posture became rigid.

"No, you may not." Tsunade scowled at everyone before interlacing her fingers together and resting her elbows on the desk. "This is serious business. The Kazekage and his bodyguards need a place to stay, since the innkeepers," At this, she glared off to the side. "refuse to house them. He will be staying for two weeks, and during that time, none of you will have any missions."

The room was suddenly filled with loud protests, which startled the baby awake again. Hinata frantically tried to calm her down, but to no avail. The cries grew louder, overpowering the other voices, causing the Hokage to slam her fists down on her desk, breaking it nearly in two. Everyone, with the exception of the baby, grew silent instantly and watched the powerful blonde for any signs of danger.

"Hinata." Tsunade said in a forcibly calm voice.

"Y-y-yes, H-Hokage-sama?" The timid Hyuuga replied, instinctively shielding the baby from the woman.

"You may go. I'll have Shino fill you in on the details - which you can pass on to Neji."

"Y-yes, thank y-you." Hinata bowed slightly and turned towards the door, cradling the upset child against her chest. As she was about to leave, she paused and looked back. "I can a-ask my f-father about l-letting the K-Kazekage-sama stay at the Hyuuga Compound…"

The Hokage blinked for a moment before smiling. "Please do."

The Hyuuga heir nodded and stepped outside. The door shut behind her, effectively muffling the wails of the baby.

"As for the rest of you…" Tsunade cracked her knuckles loudly. Everyone gulped loudly.

**----This scene has been edited out due to extreme violence. On to the next one!----**

The following day found all of Konoha in an uproar when news of the Kazekage's imminent arrival spread. The eleven shinobi chosen as candidates for the ambassadorship were told to greet Gaara at the Main Gate and to formally escort him to the Hyuuga Compound, where it had been decided he would staying. Villagers and shinobi alike watched them walk to their posts with mixed pity and fear. The candidates walked as if their death knell was ringing. Neji, however, was not there.

"Baa-chan better hit him for not being here…"Naruto muttered under his breath. Everyone, with the exception of Naruto, Sakura, and Shino, was bruised and limping from the punishment Tsunade had given them for waking the baby. Naruto wasn't bruised because he healed instantly and Sakura wasn't because she knew better than to protest an order from her Sensei. Shino wasn't because, well…he's Shino!

"N-Neji-nisan isn't f-feeling well." Hinata whispered from his right. She had the baby in a sling across her back and kept fiddling with the ties. Her two teammates, walking to the right of her, both threw the blond shinobi a glare. At least, Naruto _thought_ Shino glared at him…

"This better be quick." Shikamaru's voice came from Naruto's far left. "I'm tired."

"You're _always_ tired." Everyone informed him. He made an exasperated noise, but grinned nonetheless.

"How troublesome." The Nara couldn't resist commenting as they reached the closed gate. His teammates sighed and lined up with the others. All ten of them stood with their backs straight and their expressions serious. The shinobi atop the gate checked to make sure they were all ready before signaling to open the gate. The mechanisms controlling the doors creaked as they slowly swung open, revealing three people standing a short distance away.

"Welcome to Konoha, Kazekage-sama." Sakura called, bowing. She nudged Naruto, who was waving excitedly at his friend. When that didn't catch his attention, she grabbed his head and forced him into a bow. Snickers were muffled as the others also bowed. Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari walked forward and stopped just before the wall of leaf-nins. The red-head nodded and attempted a smile. Keyword: attempted. Temari sighed in exasperation.

"Still carrying that mutt around?" Kankuro smirked as he stared at Kiba, breaking the momentary silence that had fallen over them. Akamaru growled at him, but his master ignored the comment, opting instead to inspect the sand-nin for something to criticize.

"Aren't your face markings usually-" Kiba started, but fell silent as the puppeteer made slicing motions against his neck. Kankuro glanced at his sister, but Temari was busy having a one-sided conversation with Shikamaru. The shadow-nin's only responses were grunts or sighs.

"There are people missing." Gaara commented, glancing at the row of shinobi, disappointment creeping into his heart. He tried to distract himself. "Where is Sasuke?"

Naruto frowned. "He left."

"Oh?" Gaara raised an eyebrow in askance.

"He eloped with Itachi." Shino said, startling everyone.

"I thought it was with Kabuto…" Ino commented thoughtfully.

"Funny. _I_ thought it was Orochimaru." Tenten leaned forward in confusion, looking at Naruto for clearance. The blond shinobi was not denying any one of the scenarios.

"He sure gets around…" Temari commented, smirking.

"Yeah, well, he's gone. So there's only eleven of us here to choose from." Naruto growled, crossing his arms.

"I only see ten." Kankuro reminded the blond. Everyone grew silent as they remembered Neji and his 'illness'.

"N-N-Neji-nisan isn't f-feeling well." Hinata stammered, drawing attention to herself. She squeaked quietly as she met Gaara's aqua gaze. The baby, unnoticed by the Suna trio, sensed her surrogate mother's discomfort and shifted in her sling. Hinata's eyes widened and she held her breath, but it was too late. The baby let out a wail and Kiba immediately stepped forward to remove the child from the sling and handed her to the Hyuuga heir. Gaara and his siblings watched this exchange in confused silence.

" She's hungry." Hinata whispered, cradling the small baby against her chest, trying to calm her down. Kankuro glanced sidelong at Kiba, who was watching his teammate with a small smile.

"Yours?" The puppeteer asked the two of them. He was startled by the dog-nin's reaction. Kiba gave him a venomous glare and shook his head.

"No. Definitely not." Hinata said firmly, her head held high as she stared the sand-nin down. "If you would follow us, we will now lead you to where you will be staying."

Everyone was left staring as Hinata turned and walked away. After a few minutes of silence, the gathered shinobi followed her, almost as if in a trance. The leaf-nins immediately took up positions around the Kazekage as they walked. Temari walked behind Hinata, with Kiba and Shino walking beside her. Gaara walked behind her with Naruto and Sakura, while Kankuro, Shikamaru, and Ino walked behind them. Choji, Lee, and Tenten took up the rear.

"If Dog-boy isn't the father, then who is?" Kankuro asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Don't know." Shikamaru, walking on his right, yawned.

"That girl, what's-her-name, hasn't told you?"

"She's not the mother." Ino informed him from his left. Gaara glanced back, listening intently.

"Then who is?" Kankuro was beyond confused at this point. But no one answered him. He looked around at the grim faces and decided not to push it. Gaara pouted internally and returned his attention to his surroundings. They walked for a little ways, out of the heavily populated areas. There were more trees, interrupted at random intervals by houses. Then, just ahead of them, The trees opened up, revealing a walled off section of houses. Hinata led them through the gate and the sight that met them left no doubt in anyone's mind as to where they were. The Hyuugas were lined up along the walkway, their pale eyes staring at the visitors. All of them looked the same, and it creeped Kankuro (and Gaara, but he wasn't going to say anything) out. The puppeteer walked closer to his little brother.

"Are our souls going to be eaten…?" Kankuro whispered, glancing around. Gaara turned his head towards him, expressionless.

"Don't look into their eyes. They can sense fear." The red-head whispered, lips barely moving. Naruto, overhearing them, muffled a laugh with his hand. Hinata halted, turning to nod at her companions. They nodded back and in a second, they were gone. The Hyuuga heir motioned for the sand-nins to follow her as she entered the main house. They walked through countless hallways, past many closed doors. Gaara was growing bored when suddenly one of the doors opened and out walked none other than Neji Hyuuga. Hinata, still carrying the grumbling baby, stopped in her tracks, her mouth falling open in surprise.

"N-Neji-nisan?!" She exclaimed, holding the baby close. Neji turned his head in their direction, his pale eyes slightly out of focus.

"Hinata…Hi…" The proud Hyuuga tilted his head to the side, then walked towards them. Hinata and Gaara held their breath, both for different reasons, but Neji just walked past them. The Kazekage frowned. Something wasn't right about the genius. There was no honorifics to the Hyuuga heir's name, and when had he ever said 'hi'?

"Well, that was odd." Kankuro commented.

Suddenly, a wall opposite Neji's room slid open and Hiashi Hyuuga stepped out. He looked at his daughter, then at Gaara. The red head lifted a nonexistent eyebrow. He didn't like how those pale eyes looked at him. It was as if he _knew_ something. And Gaara was positive it was something he didn't want the Hyuuga to know.

"Tell them." And with that, Hiashi was gone. The three sand-nins looked back at Hinata, who looked beyond shocked. She blinked, once, twice, then shook her head.

"F-follow me. I'll explain in y-your quarters."

---Half An Hour Later, At Sound Village---

"You should have heard him! Screaming, crying…" A dark chuckle resounded through the dark, dank tunnels of the hideout. The man smirked, smoothing his blood-red hair out of his face. The people around him rolled their eyes, having heard this story for the past nine months. The man went on gloating, not even noticing as his 'admirers' left. Soon he was left standing in the dim lit hall, alone. When he finally noticed, he frowned.

"They're just jealous." He turned and came face to face with none other than Gaara, who stared up at the taller man, expressionless. "Hey, haven't seen you before. Wanna see if you can scream like that Konoha guy?"

Gaara stared at him, silent. Oh, how he wished he hadn't stopped his killing sprees! Then, slowly, a grin spread over his pale face. Moments later, blood curdling screams echoed loudly through the silent base.

---The Next Morning, Back At The Hyuuga Compound---

Neji stood outside the nursery, breathing slowly to try and calm himself. This was harder than he thought it was going to be. Finally, after a good ten minutes, he steeled himself and opened the door. What he saw made him pause, then gape, then wonder if he had finally gone crazy. He considered closing the door and walking away, but somehow his feet carried him into the room.

Gaara, who he had last assumed was a homicidal psychopath, was leaning over the cradle, his nonexistent eyebrows drawn together in a mix of confusion, curiosity, and fascination. He had one hand inside the cradle and for a moment Neji was worried that he was harming the baby. But as he stepped forward, he heard giggles coming from the occupant. Just a little bit - Okay, who was he kidding? He was really curious, so he walked across the room to peer down in the cradle. He blinked.

Subaku no Gaara, the feared shinobi from Suna, was poking his daughter in the stomach, making the little girl giggle and try to grab his finger. But she didn't have any fine motor skills, so she just giggled and twisted around. The sight, not only of the happy baby, but of the Kazekage - the _Kazekage_ - watching her and poking her, made the once stoic Hyuuga burst out laughing. The baby, instead of being startled, giggled louder. Gaara on the other hand, jumped and guiltily withdrew his hand from the cradle.

Once Neji had regained his breath somewhat, he turned to the Kazekage with a smile. "I'm sorry if I interrupted anything. That was just not something you see everyday."

Gaara stayed silent, though he swore he felt a blush creep up on his face. He watched as Neji glanced around the room, unable to keep himself from staring at the beautiful image before him.

"Where is my cousin?"

"Temari dragged her and Kankuro out to do some sight seeing. She assured your cousin that I would watch the child." The red-head replied, toneless. Then he scowled. "Though I have no child care experience."

"Neither do I." Neji admitted. They both looked down at the baby, who had tired herself out with the giggling. "Why did your sister leave you here if she knew you had no experience?"

"Probably as a punishment."

"For what?"

Gaara was silent as he watched the baby slept peacefully, unaware of her surroundings. He finally replied in a low voice, "Probably for visiting your attacker."

Neji stiffened. "So you've heard." They were silent for another few minutes as the Hyuuga tried to collect his thoughts - and his courage. "So?"

The red head glanced up at him, wary. Then, he let an evil grin filter onto his face. "Let's just say he'll be on the receiving end from now on."

The brunette stared at him wide-eyed as he processed what had been said. When he finally understood, laughter began bubbling up his throat and he clamped a hand over his mouth to muffle it. To Gaara, the laughter sounded slightly hysterical, but what would you expect from someone in Neji's position? When the laughter finally died down, Gaara felt it safe to add another comment.

"I wish I could kill him, but I've been forced to swear off killing."

Neji let out a little snort, but smiled gratefully nonetheless. "I…appreciate what you did anyways. For some strange reason, it makes me feel glad."

Gaara let a small smile grow on his face, and he looked back down at the baby. When he finally spoke, it was in a whisper. "She's beautiful, you know."

Neji felt a small blush flitter across his face and he glanced away. "Truth to be told, I…didn't really want her. I wanted nothing to do with her. But after a while, I felt disgusted with myself. I guess it was my m-maternal instincts finally kicking in…"

The red head glanced up when he paused, sensing there was something else he wanted to say. Neji was looking down at his child, a small smile barely noticeable on his pale face.

"I will raise this child of mine without hate. But," The brunette faltered, glancing up at Gaara. "I don't know how. I don't want to do this alone."

"You're not alone. If you will allow me, during my stay here, we can both learn together, for the sake of your daughter." This statement earned the Kazekage a watery smile as Neji began to cry silently. The whole ordeal he had been put through had changed the Hyuuga, but even then, Gaara felt his heart swell in his chest and now more than ever was he aware of his attraction to the beautiful man before him.

**End Chapter 2**

**Angel: I hope that end part wasn't too...weird...I'm a bit tired right now **

**Yukane: Well, at least you got it finished, right?**

**Angel: Yup! I even have a new one-shot all planned out! It's a different pairing, though.**

**Saiya: Don't forget to work on the next chapter for this story...**

**Angel: Oh, I know, I know...**

**Yukane: Please read and review! We love your comments!**


	3. Auther's Note

My dear Readers,

First, I would like to apologize to those expecting a new chapter to this story. I won't be able to upload or even write anything new for a while. And for those of you wondering how long, I don't know. There have been problems with my family and within my household for awhile now, and it's been keeping me from writing. So, this story will be on hiatus.

But don't worry, I (hopefully) won't be gone forever. As soon as I am able, I will update my unfinished stories and hopefully write some new ones for your enjoyment.

Hoping your life is currently better than mine,

Untainted-Angel


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